Despite having a constitution that
enshrines equality between the sexes, the Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC) is home to some of the most extreme and brutal oppression of
women. This demonstrates in a very vivid manner that women’s oppression
cannot be eliminated simply through legal rights, but requires certain
material conditions, which in turn must be fought for in the shape of a
class struggle.
We begin today the publication of the
IMT’s analysis of the world situation. This is a draft document that is
the basis of discussion within the Tendency and will be voted on with
possible amendments at this year’s world congress of the IMT. Part One
deals with the general crisis of world capitalism, to be followed by an
analysis of specific areas of the world.
At least 800 people participated in the TUC march and lobby of the Lib
Dem conference this morning (Saturday) in Gateshead. Meanwhile inside
the Conference Centre the Lib Dem leadership are coming under pressure
from their own members who are not surprisingly worried that the party
faces electoral disaster.
One of the great classics of Marxism
is the book by Frederick Engels entitled ‘The Origins of the Family,
Private Property and the State’. Engels applies the method of historical
materialism to this earliest period of pre-history to uncover the past.
As a contribution to International Women’s Day, we are republishing in
two parts an article by Mary Hansen and Rob Sewell which examines this
question.
The times leading up to the Paris Commune were difficult for all
workers, but especially for women. It was typical for a woman to work 13
hours a day, six days a week. Even still, the wages she received for
that work were woefully shy of the cost of living at the time, even if
her wages were added to her husband’s. This contradiction drove many
working women to prostitution
The decision of the Cameron government
to deploy HMS Dauntless off the coast of the Falklands Islands in the
South Atlantic represents a gratuitous provocation to the people of
Argentina.
According to the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS), the Government has only implemented 6% of its planned cuts to date. This is an austerity programme that is £10 billion behind schedule and which is set to last well beyond the next parliament. Although 6% is but a small step on a long road of enforced privation, already we can see the devastating effects this is having on millions of people.
The campaign against the government’s plans to attack Health Service
Pensions has been strengthened over the last few days as the results of
consultation by trade unions and professional bodies on the proposed
deal. This is despite the government’s position that they have presented
their final offer.
All eyes are on 28 March. This will see the next mass strike by
public sector workers in defence of their pensions. Over a million
workers are likely to participate, including fire fighters, who did not
participate in theaction on 30th November.
“The NHS will last as long as there are folk left with the faith to fight for it." (Aneurin Bevan) Despite the ambitions of Bevan’s
present day counterpart to dismantle a system of which Britain can be
proud, the words of the miner’s son seem to be holding true, considering
the widespread opposition to the implementation of the Health and
Social Care Bill. The Bill is based on government proposals to reform
the NHS, released in in July 2010 as a document titled ‘Equity and
excellence: Liberating the NHS’, more commonly known as the White Pape
The Coalition government is very keen to tell us at every
given opportunity that we are “all in this together” even as they announce cut
after cut. However, a new report published by the TUC has revealed a very
different truth about how the working class has been affected in recent years.
The French and German governments have been hard at work over the last
few weeks berating the Greeks for being unable to organise their
finances. Now, according to reports in today’s press, it turns out that
these self same governments have been pushing hard to get the Greek
government to spend like mad – on arms.